Patient BicFighter's hair transplant review

About

I am in my late 20's with my first procedure on the horizon with Dr. Vories in South Carolina. I've done my research; weighed the pros and cons of the different extraction methods; had consultations with a few different surgeons and now I'm finally ready to go through with (let's be honest) one of the biggest decisions of my life.

I'm a NW 3/4 working my way towards a NW 5/6. I'm aware that I'll likely need another procedure down the road but I'm on finasteride daily and feel that my hair loss has at least slowed to the point that I can get ahead of it. I've also been using rogaine foam for the last 5 months and it's helping. Side note, I actually started and stopped using it in my early 20's because I couldn't stand the chemical smell of the old stuff. It wasn't until earlier this year that I discovered that they finally came out with a non-scented formula (I think all the way back in 2010). Sensitive noses rejoice!

Anyway, as mentioned, I consulted with a number of recommended and coalition surgeons. My only distance limitation was that my procedure would be done in the States or Canada. My first consultation took place when I was 23. It was for a strip procedure but I ultimately decided to wait due to my age and for financial reasons. At 25, I decided to shave my head. That was always my planned solution due to the history of baldness in my family and I've been young enough and lucky enough to have a nice shaped head to make it seem elective but the look has just gotten stale. It wasn't until I made my second consultation earlier this year and I was required to grow it out that I discovered where my level of baldness was at. I had mixed emotions. On one hand, my thinning has progressed enough that I finally know where I'm heading. On the other hand, my thinning has progressed enough that I finally know where I'm heading.

So I had two more consultations before deciding to go with Dr. Vories. FUE was a big driver in my decision since I prefer to wear my hair short and both he and his clinic have been very responsive to all my questions. We're shooting for 3,500 grafts over 2 days in early August.

My Surgical Treatments to Date

3,500 Grafts with Dr. Vories Aug-6/7-2013

My Non Surgical Treatments

1.25mg Finasteride Daily

Rogaine Once a Day

Nioxin System 2 Shampoo and Conditioner

Bald Class

Norwood stage 3 Vertex

In terms of the receding hairline, stage 3 vertex balding is a less drastic version of stage 3.
However, people experiencing stage 3 vertex balding will also begin losing hair on the crown of their head. This often starts as one small bald spot.

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My Latest journal entries

BicFighter

Bald class: 3V

Procedure 1

Post op Day 11 I thought I would provide some shots of how the donor area looks 1.5 weeks post-op. At this point my head was still pretty tight. You'll find that the time of most discomfort is at night when applying pressure to the sides or back of the head resting on a pillow. During the day, my pain has been manageable just with ibuprofen but I have to be sure to take it with food as I have a fairly weak stomach with that stuff. Just a quick sidenote to the member who emailed me and had some interest in a procedure with Dr. Vories. I tried emailing you back some updated images on that day but they were rejected by your inbox. Feel free to private message me on the forum should you have any questions about my experience.

BicFighter

Bald class: 3V

Procedure 1

Post op Week 3 I know I slacked a little bit so let me provide an update of my experience between weeks 2 and 3. I had a love hate/relationship with this period. I LOVED: Being able to shower for the first time since surgery. I took baths for the first two weeks to play it safe. It felt great after the first week to let the donor are soak in the tub but nothing can beat a shower! FYI - druing the baths, I played it extra safe with the recpient area and would only let distilled water touch the surface. I know that probably sounds crazy but I did not want hard unfiltered tap water touching the prized area I just invested in. Lightly massaging my head to remove stubborn crusts. A lot of the crusting came off on it's own without touch but I've been waiting to attack the excess for a little while now. Note that I did not actually touch my scalp. Running my hand forwad across the hair was enough to do the job. Losing my pain meds and getting a good night's rest. Pretty self-explanatory. Almost all the discomfort is gone by this time. Substantially reduced redness. This period, more than any other, I've noticed a major decrease in the redness. I can safely go back to work this week without fear of anyone noticing anything (besides a shorter hair cut). I won't go back, but I could have ;) (I had 5 weeks of vacation in the bank and I'm using 4 of it). I HATED: Losing my newly transplanted hair. Alas, the time has come where I have begun to shed my new hair. Along with the reduced redness, in the last 3-4 days I've noticed the most shedding. Farewell beautiful hairline. I hope we meet again. Playing it safe and avoiding the gym. I had permission to go back a week after my procedure but I told Dr. Vories keep in mind that whatever dates he gives me, I'm going to multiply it by 2-3x to be safe. This is killing me because I'm a fitness junkie and I feel unhealthy when I'm not in the gym but again it goes back to the whole "investment and is it worth the risk?" thing. Losing my newly transplanted hair and hairline. Double the note for double the sadness. Ugly duckling is starting to kick in!

BicFighter

Bald class: 3V

Procedure 1

Post op Day 9

BicFighter

Bald class: 3V

Procedure 1

Surgery Day 1 of 2 Just a couple of shots after day 1 of surgery. I will post more detailed photos following day 2 (completion of surgery). Let me just say that my overall experience at Carolina Hair Surgery has been fantastic. I'll have a more detailed write-up to follow. After day one, my head was still numb but I was not in pain and the meds were more than sufficient to help me sleep through the night.

BicFighter

Bald class: 3V

Procedure 1

Surgery Day 2 of 2 Well I'm all finished up here and everything was just a little too easy. Between the actual surgical experience, the hotel, transportation, food and even the flight, everything went so smooth that I almost had a difficult time believing that I had just gone through my first hair transplant. Below, you'll find shots immediately post-op at the hotel. I tried to provide close ups of both the donor and transplanted areas. I feel like the work was really clean and I love my "potential" new hair line! We decided to stay conservative considering my age and the fact that we didn't want a 20-year-old hairline on me at the age of 50! We transplanted a total of 3,500 grafts. We got about 1800 on the first day and started packing my hairline. The plan for day 2 was to fade backwards with a little less density. The most important thing for me was framing my face. I feel we accomplished our goals in the clinic but now the real journey starts! Here's to a great result 6-12 months down the road!

BicFighter

Bald class: 3V

Procedure 1

Post op: Day 3 Just a 3-day post-op update. Boy did I go through a swelling period the last few days. The pain was manageable but I looked something of a monster. It started in the upper left portion of my face and worked it's way down until I had the patented double-chin. That's hard to cope with considering that I lost some weight over the last few years and hit the gym regularly. Oh well. I know it will pass in a few more days. Everything appears to be healing well and I'm sticking with Dr. Vories post-op instructions religiously!